Sorry I couldn’t make it to this year’s Global  Cleantech Meetup but am pleased to post information provided  by Harold Simansky about his company, 360 Chestnut , which provides resources for consumers and service providers  in the home improvement market, and about WeFunder, a crowd investing platform for startups.

Both companies are headquartered at the Cambridge Innovation Center in Kendall Square, where I share space, although I have not yet met either Simansky or WeFunder cofounder and President Mike Norman.

Simansky says the two companies “stole the show,” but I’ll bet they got a run for their money (so to speak) from my friend and informal PR client,  Christine Adamow, who announced that her company, EuphorbUS,  which has produced pure fuel oil from tree seeds in Africa since 2007, is setting up shop in Hawaii. [Link to Euphorbus release.]

Simansky writes that WeFunder is the premier crowd investing platform for startups, while 360Chestnut is growing into one of the largest home improvement sites on the web.

Both startups were featured presenters at the  two day conference: Norman gave the keynote address to the more than 500 attendees and Simanski spoke on home improvement and sustainability.

Simansky points out that 360Chestnut is using the WeFunder  platform to raise its most recent round  of  investment, and in his  keynote, Norman called  360Chestnut an “ideal company” to use crowd investing to fund its growth.

Simansky describes WeFunder as “a crowd investing platform for startups.”  Using the platform, crowd investors can purchase stock for as little as $100 in promising new businesses around the country.  With the passage of the  US JOBS Act in April,  startups will soon be allowed to solicit investment from small, “unaccredited” investors and sell small stakes in their businesses online.

He says that  360Chestnut is “a no-cost, trusted source” where homeowners learn what to do to make their homes more healthy, energy-efficient and comfortable;  connect with qualified service providers, and access the more than 5000 rebate and incentives that will pay for this type of work.

For service providers, 360Chestnut is “a constant source of educated, nurtured customers; marketing & sales support; easy-to-use software and applications; online training; financing options and more.   Service providers pay to join and may purchase products and service son the site.

–Anita M. Harris

New Cambridge Observer is a publication of the Harris Communications Group, an award-winning public relations and online-marketing firm based in Cambridge, MA.

        Later today, I hope to attend the Clean-Tech Meetup–an event which,  Gov. Deval Patrick, has said, “brings together innovative leaders from across the Commonwealth, the country and the globe to grow businesses, advance technologies and expand the adoption of clean energy sources.”

             As described on the Clean Tech Meetup Web site,  “through  Clean Energy Week and the Conference on Clean Energy in Boston,”  Massachusetts has been “steadily growing” a community of clean energy innovators and implementers.   “Now, we’re using what we’ve learned to bring you an event focusing on connecting people in intimate settings—instead of panels or keynotes.”

• Major Energy Consumers, Utilities, Leading Cleantech Companies, and other companies looking to form partnerships will meet providers of innovative clean energy services, products, and technologies.
• Investors will meet over 50 companies from more than 10 countries, hear from emerging clean energy companies, and talk with major energy users about their needs for clean energy technologies.
• Emerging Clean Energy Companies will talk with potential investors, strategic partners, and customers.

View the conference program.

Innovation Tour:  The conference also includes a tour of “cool companies and organizations” that will be holding open houses”from  Kendall Square to the Seaport Innovation District,” on Wednesday.  View the Tour participants.

I’m pleased that my friend and informal client, Christine Adamow, President and CEO of EuphorbUS,   announced today that her company, , a  “tree-based”  biofuel company that  has operated in East Africa since 2007,  will soon open its first operating site in North America in Hawaii.

The Meetup  is pricey, with registration $400+ for  participants and  $500-$1000 for presenters, who are selected by the conference organizations. (Might say I was surprised that the organizers called the event a meetup– because most “meetups” I’ve heard of are free or nearly so).   Held at the Boston Convention Center, it  runs through Wednesday.

—Anita M. Harris

Last Friday at the British Consulate in Cambridge, three innovators described emerging technologies that are changing how and where healthcare is delivered–and the challenges of bringing those  technologies to market.

Jacqueline Thong, CEO and Co-Founder of Ubiqi Health, in Boston,   is developing mobile tools to track and use data on patient compliance.  Bringing Ubiqui’s  first product–which measures the impact of life style changes on  migraine headache sufferers, to market–has been slow,  Thong said, but over the course of 18 months, her company  acquired 15 thousand users,  developed a reporting system, and assessed  results.  While, originally, her company had expected reports on impact to be shared only with providers, her team found that patients were interested in knowing their results–and that when provided access,  their compliance and positive outcomes increased.

Thong  emphasized the emphasized the importance of measuring impact and showcasing findings to potential partners.  Merck and the Joslin Diabetes Center are now interested in testing the device with their patients, as are other pharma companies, payor organizations interested in cutting costs, and physicians, Thong said.

Mira Sahney, General Manger, Gynecology Business at  Smith & Nephew  Endoscopy, is building a women’s health division at the company.  She is in the process of commercializing a minimally invasive surgical tool for use in doctors offices that removes fibroids and polyps which have long been a leading cause of  hysterectomies. While, in Europe, use of the minimally-invasive procedure (hysteroscopy) in doctors’ offices  is  encouraged and financially incentivized,  introducing it to the US market has been challenging, she said.

Medicare reimburses differently depending on the location but in any case, will not pay for the procedure if performed in the doctor’s office. Getting FDA approval for a new product can take years, she said. “You need promoters.” “What is more, the American College of Gynecology  is slow and conservative;  private insurers can  see and implement the benefits but are moving slowly.  Anyone seeking to market  a paradigm-shifting device must be  prepared to work at the “micro” level, she emphasized. “commercialization is completely different in every market.”

Peter Vicars, President and CEO of VGo Communications, in Nashua,  NH,  emphasized the importance of focus in introducing a new product. His company has developed a “telepresence robot” that can moved around a space to provide  video-like audiovisual information  — by someone at a computer many miles away.  Vgo robots can be used for security, advertising and in homes and schools, Vicars said.

For example, a child with immune deficiency could not go to school, but by sending a robot in his place, he could observe the goings on and interact with students and classmates.

Robots are being  used by families to communicate with patients in nursing homes–and are also  used by health providers to monitor patients.  For example,  at a children’s hospital found that they had a 50% readmission rate–not because the doctors had done anything wrong but because parents tended to panic and bring their kids back to the hospital in case of the slightest worry.  To cut back on expensive readmissions,  one of the doctor now sends a Vgo robot home with every patient. He can then see what’s going on, thus making a virtual house call.

The possibilities seem endless, Vicars said, but it’s crucial to focus in order to determine “is there an opportunity and can you capitalize on it?”

The program was developed and moderated  by Tanya Kanigan, Founder of  Proof of Market,  which helps engineering driven companies identify and develop opportunities for their technologies and services in life science and healthcare markets.

—Anita M. Harris

Cambridge startup  Latitude News and Public Radio Exchange (PRX) have  launched a  podcast series aimed at bringing global stories with local importance to new audiences.

Latitude was founded earlier this year by veteran BBC producer Maria Balinska to bring “a new  brand of global storytelling connects on an emotional level to audiences who are curious about the world,” Balinka said.  Its  journalists–based in Cambridge and abroad, use  a Website, social media and podcasts to crowdsource stories that connect Americans with the world.

PRX operates public radio’s largest distribution marketplace, offering thousands of audio stories for broadcast and digital use. Signature PRX programs include the Moth Radio Hour, RadioLab, This American Life, KCRW Music Mine and the Public Radio Player.

Under an agreement announced earlier this week,  Latitude will produce 12 podcasts and broadcast segments for PRX showcasing a distinctive editorial style that links Americans to the rest of the world.

The first podcasts launched this week; one looks at why the US faces a shortage of cod and Norway does not; the other examines the role that one US preacher has played in the anti-gay movement in Uganda.

The Latitude News podcasts are hosted by award-winning journalist Daniel Moulthorp.

Moulthorp  is co-founder of The Civic Commons. He is also a former program host of 90.3 WCPN’s Sound of Ideas and co-author, with Dave Eggers and Ninive Calegari, of the best selling book Teachers Have it Easy: The Big Sacrifices and Small Salaries of America’s Teachers (The New Press, 2005).

John Barth, Managing Director of PRX, said, “The extension of Latitude News to podcasts and broadcast is a natural step as PRX reaches engaged audiences hungry for more meaningful  international stories.”

“We’re thrilled to work with PRX to illustrate how our new brand of global storytelling connects on an emotional level to audiences who are curious about the world,” Balinska said.

The podcasts and segments are made possible by a grant to PRX by the Open Society Foundations aimed at expanding global storytelling for American audiences.

http://www.prx.org/group_accounts/142068-latitudenews

–Anita M. Harris
Anita Harris is a writer and communications consultant  in Cambridge, MA.

New Cambridge Observer is a publication of the Harris Communications Group–an-award-winning strategic communications firm based  in Kendall Square, Cambridge.

# # #

On Sunday, I drove up to Revere to take in the    annual Sand Castle Competition…As always the entries were amazing–I had to wonder how  on earth (so to speak) the artists managed to build them.

Especially enjoyed “Skin and Bones,” a fish within a fish–

Skin & Bones #1 Revere Beach Sand Castle Competition 2012

A few entries surprisingly downbeat–perhaps, as my friend C suggested, picking up on the general zeitgeist:
For example, “The Earth Cries…”

And “Everyone has a dark side” –a woman with her  back to viewers–and,on  the ocean side, a frowning ghoulish character facing the ocean.

The Winner was “To Bee or Not,” a very intricate sculpture of an insect (to which my photo does not do justice–the light was very tricky).

I would have liked to have jumped in the water (it was hot, even as early as 7 AM) but the tide was just starting to come in…so the beach was loaded with small stones and shells and the water a bit murky. Maybe go next year to see the artists at work?

 —-Anita Harris

Last week at swissnex, the Swiss Consulate in Cambridge, university communications and institutional research experts  expressed frustration at the ways in which university rankings are established–and doubt about the accuracy and usefulness of most rankings.

Urs Hugentobler, head of Institutional Research at ETH Zürich/Swiss Federal Institute of Technology–the top ranked university outside of the US– described the vagaries of ranking systems and especially the nebulous “reputation” category, which both impacts and is impacted by a university’s ranking.

Norbert  Staub,  head of internal communications and deputy head of corporate communications at ETH, emphasizzed the importance of  managing a university’s reputation in order to attract students, donors, funding, faculty and the like–all of which influence and are influenced by  rankings.

Roundtable participants  Dawn Terkla,  Associate Provost for Institutional Research and Evaluation at Tufts University,  and  John Scanlon,  an institutional researcher at Harvard,  described the challenges involved in responding to differing requests from numerous  ranking agencies and in evaluating the meaning of rankings when results change from year to year.

Hugentobler pointed out that rankings  ordinarily do not change substantially over the short term–but Terkla  said that one year, Tufts saw a 30% decline when a ranking agency changed its methodology.    All of the participants agreed that rankings that can be inaccurate, haphazard and difficult to influence.

Gina Vild, associate dean for communications and external relations at Harvard Medical School said that while it is not easy for a university composed of many smaller organizations to raise its overall ranking, it may well be possible for individual units  to raise their rankings through communications outreach.  In fact, she said, even a crisis, if well-handled, can  help raise rankings by increasing an institution’s name recognition and enhancing its reputation.

undefined | Harris Communications Group

Joe Wrinn, former director of news and public affairs at Harvard, emphasized the importance of honesty and transparency in dealing with crises and the media.

But several participants   cited examples of  rather nefarious tactics–such as inviting huge numbers of unqualified applicants to apply for admission and then turning them down in order up appear more selective and, thus, obtain higher rankings. And before the meeting, Hugentobler mentioned that it is not uncommon for Asian universities to contact those in Europe–at the very least  enhanging name recognition should they be contacted by a ranking company.

As moderator, I asked if any of the participants knew of instances when the rankings had been used to encourage positive change within a university; no one responded.

When I mentioned that it seemed like universities are held hostage by the rankers,  Terka said that if universities don’t  respond,  they will likely be ranked anyway.  Philip Altbach, director of the Center for International Higher Education at Boston College, agreed–saying that sometimes university units are ranked even if they don’t exist.

When I asked what can be done to remedy the situation, both Terkla and Scanlon mentioned that institutional researchers often communicate with ranking agencies in order to ascertain what information is being sought. Terkla said that an organization comprised of  institutional research experts frequently discusses the rankings.   James Honan,  senior lecturer at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, advised:  “Educate your trustees” so they understand what rankings do and do not show.

HarrisCom Group member David Rosen, former Chief Communications Officer at Brandeis and  Harvard Universities, the University of Chicago, and Emerson College, posted a blog on various  international ranking systems and how communicators can influence results at eduniverse.org:

—Anita M. Harris

Anita Harris is president of the Harris Communications Group, a strategic pr and marketing communications firm specializing in health, science, technology, education and energy.

Governor Deval Patrick and Medicon Valley Officials after signing collaboration agreement at 2012 Bio International Convention on 6/20/12. Photo by Anita Harris, Harris Communications Group.

“It’s not about what we can give you or take; it’s about how we can share.” So said Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick before signing a collaboration agreement with officials from Medicon Valley MOU –located in the Capital Region of Denmark, Region Zealand in Denmark and Region Skåne in Sweden. The  agreement was one of two  partnerships signed today between Massachusetts and European regions. The second was with Catalonia, Spain.  Both  agreements were signed at the BIO International Convention.

“Our innovation economy is thriving here in Massachusetts and establishing and encouraging international partnerships is an important part of our future growth,” Governor Patrick said. “Catalonia and Medicon Valley are important regions in Europe’s innovation sector, and these partnerships will allow us to move forward on our mutual goals in this part of the global economy.”

The Medicon Valley memo of understanding (MOU) was signed by Governor Patrick and officials from the Capital Region of Denmark, Region Zealand in Denmark and Region Skåne in Sweden.

The agreement focuses on enhancing research partnerships in life sciences by an exchange of researchers and students; identifying special projects, partnerships or collaborations that can lead to new or enhanced research opportunities; and establishing a framework to be used in joint projects that could be financed by the European Union or National Institute of Health to develop new products and processes that can be used in the global market, according to a press release furnished by the governor’s office.

Medicon Valley is a bi-national region composed of the island of Zealand in eastern Denmark and the Skåne region of southern Sweden. It is home to over 200 companies in biotech, med-tech, and pharmaceuticals with over 350 additional companies in those fields having affiliate or branch offices in the region. These industries employ 40,000 people.

The MOU with Catalonia, Spain was signed by Governor Patrick and the President of Catalonia, Spain Artur Mas I Gavarro, with U.S. Ambassador to Spain Alan Solomont present for the signing. The Patrick-Murray Administration has partnered with the Catalan Government to put real collaboration into a renewed agreement on the 20^th anniversary of Lieutenant Governor Paul Cellucci signing a Declaration of Intent of Cooperation in 1992 between Massachusetts and Catalonia, according to the release.

The agreement facilitates collaboration in the following areas:

a)         Bilateral cooperation in research, and technological and industrial innovation;

b)         Business cooperation and economic development in key productive sectors, especially in life sciences, renewable energy, information technology, advanced manufacturing and infrastructure, and;

c)         Academic cooperation.

Catalonia has pursued a policy similar to Governor Patrick’s of investing in the innovation economy. Areas of convergence include the life sciences, mobile devices, clean energy technology, and advanced infrastructure. In 2011, Spain was Massachusetts’ 21st largest export partner, with Massachusetts exporting approximately $326.99 million worth of goods and services.

The BIO International Convention provides Governor Patrick, Lieutenant Governor Timothy Murray, state and industry leaders with an opportunity to showcase Massachusetts as a global leader in the life sciences industry, and the preeminent place for life sciences companies to invest in and expand. On Tuesday, Governor Patrick announced the first round of grants awarded under the Massachusetts-Israel Innovation Partnership (MIIP). MIIP is a formal collaboration between the State of Israel and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to encourage and support innovation and entrepreneurship between Massachusetts’ and Israel’s life sciences, clean energy and technology sectors. A total of at least $1.3 million is being awarded to four research & development (R&D) collaborations between Massachusetts and Israeli companies that have been jointly approved by the funding agencies on both sides. The total budget of the awarded projects is estimated at approximately $3 million. The Massachusetts awardees are located in Natick, Needham, North Billerica and Wilbraham.

Earlier on Wednesday, the Governor joined seven global biopharmaceutical companies to announce the formation of the Massachusetts Neuroscience Consortium. Participating companies include Abbott, Biogen Idec, EMD Serono, Janssen Research & Development, LLC, Merck, Pfizer and Sunovion Pharmaceuticals Inc. The Consortium will fund pre-clinical neuroscience at Massachusetts academic and research institutions.

Governor Patrick’s ten-year, $1 billion life sciences investment package has strengthened the state’s global leadership in the life sciences. The initiative melds all of the state’s key resources in order to spur research, investment, innovation and commercialization. Now the life sciences industry in Massachusetts is thriving, with more than 52 percent job growth in the biopharma sector since 2001 and more than 80,000 employees working in the life sciences.

–Anita M. Harris
New Cambridge Observer is a publication of the Harris Communications Group, an award-winning  public relations and marketing communications agency located in Cambridge, MA.

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BOSTON — Wednesday, June 20, 2012 — Seven global biopharmaceutical companies have each pledged to contribute $250,000 a new consortium that will fund preclinical neuroscience research in order to accelerate and make available academic research from Massachusetts to the pharmaceutical industry, Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick and consortium members announced today.

Companies participating in the Massachusetts Neuroscience Consortium include Abbott, Biogen Idec, EMD Serono, Janssen Research & Development, LLC, Merck, Pfizer and Sunovion PharPmaceuticals Inc.

“From Alzheimer’s disease, to Parkinson’s disease, to multiple sclerosis, neurological diseases affect millions of Americans and millions more across the globe,” Patrick said. “Through the research that this consortium will fund, we aim to bring those people, their families, and many others hope for a better future.”

The announcement took place in the Massachusetts Pavilion at the 2012 BIO International Convention.

According to a press release from the governor’s office: the Consortium is a pioneering new model designed to leverage Massachusetts’ rich environment for purposes of accelerating early-stage research available to the pharmaceutical industry, introducing academic researchers to the challenges of targeted research, and facilitating industry-academic collaborations.

A number of factors make the Massachusetts Neuroscience Consortium unique:

• Proposed projects will be short-term and results-oriented. Timelines, milestones, budgets and objectives will be clearly defined by the industry sponsors.

• Industry sponsors will identify common standards, e.g. levels of validation necessary for a project objective to be considered “complete.”

• Industry sponsors will work in collaboration with principal investigators and their teams; sponsors also will contribute tools, data and other resources to the project teams to expedite their work.

• Results are shared with all participants; companies and academic researchers will have access to the use of any tools developed by each project; industry sponsors will determine their interest in validated targets as projects are completed.

“The Consortium is a pioneering new model that is designed to leverage the rich research environment in Massachusetts for purposes of accelerating pre-clinical research available to the biotech and pharmaceutical industry, introducing academic researchers to the challenges of targeted research, and facilitating industry-academic partnerships,” said Susan-Windham Bannister, Ph.D., President and CEO of the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center. “I sincerely thank our seven charter members for stepping up to this challenge and joining in this new collaboration.”

Each participating company has pledged to contribute $250,000 to the Consortium, for total initial funding of $1.75 million. Members of the Consortium will solicit and review proposals from academic research institutions for pre-clinical neuroscience research. The first solicitation is expected to open in the fall of 2012. All Massachusetts academic and research institutions will be eligible to apply for grant funding through the Consortium. The Massachusetts Life Sciences Center will administer the Consortium, and will use its convening power to reduce barriers to collaboration and to expedite access to the research community.

Massachusetts is a center of excellence in the field of biomedical neuroscience with world leaders representing all major fields of neurobiology and neurology. The combination of basic neuroscience, translational and clinical research across more than a dozen world-renowned institutions represents what may be the world’s highest density of neuroscience research. This provides a rich and fertile environment within which to advance the understanding and treatment of brain disorders.

“EMD Serono is proud to be a part of this new initiative to further neuroscience research within our company’s home state of Massachusetts,” said James Hoyes, President of EMD Serono. “This Consortium represents true collaboration amongst industry leaders, to foster breakthroughs in science today that will change the shape of medicine for tomorrow. We look forward to accelerating research and innovation in the area of neuroscience, and together, making a difference in the lives of patients.”

“Janssen Research & Development is pleased to be a charter sponsor of this innovative approach to advance neuroscience research,” said Husseini Manji, MD, Global Therapeutic Area Head, Neuroscience, Janssen R&D. “We believe scientific collaboration that brings together the best ideas and expertise from both academia and industry will play an important role in helping translate basic science discoveries into promising new treatments.”

“We are delighted to be a founding member of the Neuroscience Consortium,” said Douglas E. Williams, Ph.D., Executive Vice President, Research and Development at Biogen Idec. “New types of collaborations among academia and industry are increasingly important to stimulating the discovery of better therapies and advancing science and medicine. At Biogen Idec, we are working on discovering and developing drugs across a number of areas in neurodegenerative disease and believe that this first-of-its-kind collaboration among the state, biopharmaceutical companies and top academic researchers is important for maintaining a vibrant and innovative research organization and making sure we deliver better therapies to patients with these difficult diseases.”

“Pfizer Neuroscience is in Cambridge, Massachusetts, largely due to the intense concentration of neuroscience thought leaders,” said Dr. Michael Ehlers, Chief Scientific Officer for Pfizer Neuroscience. “This collaboration is a step forward in our effort to address the urgent need for therapies in neurologic and psychiatric disease.”

“This is an exciting and promising new model for collaboration to advance the study of behavioral health and neuroscience disorders. Sunovion is proud to participate in this initiative,” said Richard Russell, Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer, Sunovion Pharmaceuticals Inc. “The Life Sciences Center has played an essential role in convening this group and making this collaboration happen, and we thank them for their leadership.”

“The academic research community is committed to understanding these neurologic conditions at the most basic and fundamental molecular level, and most importantly, to translating that depth of understanding into clinical application,” said Jeffrey S. Flier, Dean of Harvard Medical School. “Basic discovery and translational science are essential to our success, and we in academia have the infrastructure to do it.”

“When I was first diagnosed with MS nearly 20 years ago, there were no approved treatments on the market,” said Joann D’Amico Stone of Waltham. “Since that time, there have been tremendous advancements made, opening up a number of options for patients – including my MS treatment from Biogen Idec. It’s heartening to see these companies collaborating, because I think that it will ultimately help speed and increase the number of important treatments that can benefit patients like me.”

“In 2009 I became the fourth member of my extended family to be officially diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease,” said Allen Krieger of Lexington, a distinguished astrophysicist. “Alzheimer’s has changed my life in a number of ways – I have difficulty finding things, making decisions, and remembering things that used to be routine. I’ve participated in clinical trials and other research to do what I can to help. This consortium is a new and promising approach to advancing Alzheimer’s research through collaboration between the companies and academic institutions that are leading the way in the search for a cure.”

“We are in a race against time in our fight to find treatments and a cure for Alzheimer’s,” said James Wessler, President and CEO of the Alzheimer’s Association, MA/NH Chapter. “We applaud Governor Patrick and the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center for the foresight shown in the creation of this new neuroscience consortium. For the 120,000 people in Massachusetts with Alzheimer’s, this cannot come soon enough.”

The BIO International Convention provides Governor Patrick, Lieutenant Governor Timothy Murray, state and industry leaders with an opportunity to showcase Massachusetts as a global leader in the life sciences industry, and the preeminent place for life sciences companies to invest in and expand.

Governor Patrick’s ten-year, $1 billion life sciences investment package has strengthened the state’s global leadership in the life sciences. The initiative melds all of the state’s key resources in order to spur research, investment, innovation and commercialization. Now the life sciences industry in Massachusetts is thriving, with more than 52 percent job growth in the biopharma sector since 2001 and more than 80,000 employees working in the life sciences.

–Anita M. Harris

New Cambridge Observer is a publication of the Harris Communications Group” , an award winning public relations and marketing communications firm based in Cambridge,